Manifest Destiny: Part One: Lost In Limbo

by Kay, Sabra M.

  “Okay, sure. Let me have it.” She tried to return his playful demeanor, but she felt awkward. I am way too serious for my own good. And I suck at flirting.

  “I don’t want you traveling back home alone. I’m going to go with you.”

  “Hmm. So that’s what you call running something by me?" She laughed lightly. She also realized that it was exactly what she was hoping he would say.

  “Okay, you do have a choice. If you want to trek out there alone, then by all means, do so. I hate to say that you shouldn’t travel by yourself 'cause you’re a girl. But…you shouldn’t travel by yourself. 'Cause you’re a girl. I know that isn’t fair, but it’s true.”

  Selah thought about what he had just said. She wanted him to go, not just because she was afraid to travel alone, but because she enjoyed his company.

  “Sure. You can come with me.” Again, her words sounded awkward to her. “I mean, yes, thanks. That would be awesome.”

  “Awesome it is then.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yeah.”

  Dillon rubbed the back of his neck with his palm and sighed. Selah turned slightly back toward the trail, eyebrows raised in question.

  He nodded. “We should get back before it gets dark.”

  The sky lit up, and for a moment Selah thought lightening had struck. A loud boom that shook the ground under her feet, almost knocking her down, told her it was no lightning strike. A hot blast of air seared the inside of her nostrils. Flames erupted and the sounds of shouts and screams could be heard down the hill. There were no words exchanged, they just ran.

  Chapter Seven

  Dillon was way ahead of her, and by the time Selah made it down the trail and back to the dirt road that led to town, he was long gone. She slowed down, suddenly aware of her surroundings. From what she could gather, the blast had hit right in the middle of town. Flames rose up ahead, and there was considerable commotion coming from the center of town.

  She walked quickly, but kept her awareness, looking from side to side and behind her every few paces. If the Black Soldiers had bombed the town, as she feared, then they could be coming in to finish everyone off on foot. She turned from the dirt road and onto a street lined with a few homes. No one was milling around, and she didn’t even know if these places were inhabited. From what she had seen so far, the town was far less populated than Limbo, which had over a thousand residents.

  The street led to the main road through town. She moved up her pace to a jog, and kept her eyes out for Dillon, the Black Soldiers and anyone else who might be around.

  As she neared the main street, the destruction became apparent. Homes and buildings were leveled, others were burning. A group of people had gathered, huddled together at one end of the street. Many lay on the ground, wounded or dead. Others ran around, searching for survivors. She didn’t see Dillon. She hoped his mother wasn’t one of the dead or wounded.

  Fear and dread gripped her. She started toward the group and then stopped. What could she do there? She was an outsider, and there was nothing she could do to help. She turned toward the destruction, the burning buildings…Dillon was probably there. The flames continued to rage, with no way to put them out. No fire department or ambulance to come to the rescue.

  What do I do? Dillon can’t possibly leave with me now, not with this happening. She shook her head, hard. How could she be thinking of herself right now? But she was; she always was.

  Two children wandered into the street, coughing and crying, clutching each other and looking around, wild-eyed. Selah went to them, crouching down to get to their eye level. They didn’t appear to be injured, but they had definitely inhaled some smoke. The smaller of the two children began clawing at her, so Selah picked her up. She took the other child by the hand and led them away from the inferno, toward the group of townspeople.

  “Mommy, mommy!” the older child shouted, pulling Selah back toward what had been their home.

  “It’s okay. You have to come with me.”

  “No, I need Mommy!” The child began sobbing, then choking. Selah looked to where the kids had come from. If their mother was indeed in that building, she had not survived. She had no words for the little boy.

  The commotion increased and Selah heard shots fire in the distance. This is it, she thought. This is where it all ends. The Black Soldiers are here to finish these people off. And these people include me.

  She stood, paralyzed with the two children. She could run, right now. Go back down that dirt road, up the ridge, hide out amongst the trees and rocks, head for the desert at first light. She might even make it. She looked down at the tear- and soot-streaked face of the little boy, now looking to her for help.

  She pulled the boy along with her, searching the crowd for Rita, Dillon or anyone else who might be familiar. No one she knew was present. More gunfire erupted, and it sounded like it was coming from the far end of the street, near Dillon’s house. Selah tried to detach the little girl from her, to put her down, but it was not happening. The child clung to her fiercely, burying her tousled head into Selah’s chest. She was starting to feel frantic now.

  We are sitting ducks here, she thought. I have to get out of here.

  She had been through Black Soldier raids before. They bombed first, then came in and cleaned everyone out. They had no qualms about mowing down women and children.

  A small explosion went off behind a large building on the main street. Men shouted and from what Selah could tell, the explosion was a counterattack. She looked again at the crowd and realized most were women and children, and some wounded that had been dragged from burning homes or fallen debris.

  Selah and the children made their way through the crowd. She knew that she needed to get out of here, and if these people didn’t do the same, they were all dead.

  “Hey! Listen!” she shouted at them, trying to attract their attention.

  A few of the women looked up at her. They were crying and comforting their children, shivering with shock and fear.

  “We have to move. The Black Soldiers are here. Did you hear the gunfire?” She wasn’t sure what to tell them. Leave, yes, but to where? The best they could hope for was to disperse and hide. Some might survive.

  “Where?” one woman spoke.

  Then another, “I have to wait for my husband, he is helping the others.”

  Selah thought of Dillon’s mother. “Has anyone seen Rita?”

  They looked at each other, then looked around. Blank faces answered her question. Selah felt her stomach sink. Poor Dillon.

  Footsteps behind her caught her attention. She spun around. Dillon and a few other men. He was out of breath, face covered in soot and sweat.

  “My mom, have you seen her?”

  Selah shook her head. “No one has. I'm sorry.”

  One of the men he was with put a hand on Dillon’s shoulder. “She was in the house, last I saw. The house is gone now,” he said.

  Dillon sunk forward, putting his hands on his knees. His breath came in gasps.

  “Dillon. We have to go.”

  He looked up at her, looked at the children and the crowd of wounded, frightened townspeople. He shook his head. “There’s nowhere to go. They are everywhere. Going from house to house. They are at both ends of town.” He paused for a moment to catch his breath.

  “We could go up the hill, but they’ll follow us, or launch another bomb and set the whole thing on fire.”

  “We can’t stay here though! There’s no way to fight. No weapons.”

  “We have a few.”

  “We’ll have to take our chances.”

  A woman who had been standing back stepped forward. She was pregnant. “I’m going, I can’t just stay here waiting for them to come pick me off.”

  She stepped sideways, looking around as if trying to discern the most logical route. She headed in the direction of the dirt road. A couple others followed her. Gunshots grew closer, and the crowd began to panic. Some returned to the homes and sho
ps that were still standing. Others hovered protectively over their wounded loved ones. One woman with a toddler slumped to the ground, sobbing hysterically along with her child.

  Dillon went to her and pulled her up off of the ground. He took her face in his hands and shushed her. “Listen to me. You can’t just give up. At least hide, run, follow the others. Don’t just sit here, okay? Think of your son.”

  His pleas brought a fresh barrage of sobbing from her, but she nodded her head and fled into the darkness. The sounds of heavy footsteps came from the street, getting closer and faster. They were coming.

  “What do we do, Dillon?”

  He pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans and grabbed her by the arm. “C’mon, I know where there are more weapons. Let’s go!”

  Selah looked for the two children, and saw them huddled with two young women, one pregnant and one holding an infant. They appeared to know her. One of the women nodded to her. Selah didn’t want to leave them, as she felt that anyone not running was going to die. Dillon yanked her arm, eyes pleading with her to hurry.

  They cut in between two houses, through a small field and stopped to catch their breath. A shrill scream pierced the air and a barrage of gunfire exploded. The shapes of men appeared ahead, and as they drew nearer, Dillon waved to them, urging Selah towards them.

  She recognized Gabe and Sid. A chain link fence materialized, and Dillon motioned Selah to go over it. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and despite her fear and injuries, she scaled it easily. His friends waited on the other side. She was just about to throw her other leg over the top and jump when she heard a new sound amid the gunfire and explosions. It wasn’t just her; the others heard it too, and froze, listening.

  It was a low hum. Selah could feel it resonating in her inner ears. She felt it from the top of her head to the tip of her toes and all the way into her gut. She instinctively put her hands over her ears to block the vibration, but to no avail.

  A dark shape above cast a shadow over the moonlit field. It moved steadily and swiftly, hovered above the center of town for a moment, then disappeared. The group exchanged confused glances. It was obviously a ship, but why here, and what was it doing? They continued over the fence and were about to move on when Dillon stopped them.

  “Wait, just wait for a minute. Stay down.”

  They kept low and silent, waiting for something to happen, or for Dillon to explain. There was little noise. No more gunshots or screams or shouts—nothing.

  Selah motioned to Dillon. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt like they should go back to town. She gestured toward the main street, raising her eyebrows in question. Dillon nodded, the rest of the group agreed. They headed back over the fence. Single file, as quietly as possible, they made their way back to the center of town.

  Homes smoldered, debris was everywhere, but there was a heavy silence. Selah crept along the dark street, alert and ready to run. She kept her eyes out for anyone left alive after the massacre. They reached the end of the street, where the group of women, children, and wounded had been. Nothing was there, not even the bodies of the dead.

  “What the hell?”

  “Where is everyone?”

  Selah shook her head. This wasn’t normal. She had expected to see even more bodies than there were when they left. The Black Soldiers had certainly gunned down anyone left on the street. But where were they? And where had the Black Soldiers gone?

  Something didn’t feel right; there were bodies, injured people right here only ten minutes ago. She thought about the ship. She hadn’t gotten a good look at it, there were no lights. They stood staring at each other, glancing around, listening for voices. Crying, whimpering, pleas for help—anything. The occasional crack or thud of a collapsing beam or wall was all that was offered.

  Sid stood, cursing and crying and turned to Dillon and Gabe. "I have to go search for Alan. He was supposed to meet at the safehouse if there was a problem. He wasn't there."

  He didn't wait for a response. Selah watched him run off and then looked back to Dillon. Gabe did the same. "What now?"

  “Let me think. Wait—let’s get out of the damn street.” It was obvious that Dillon was just as bewildered as the rest of the group, but that didn’t stop Selah and Gabe from looking to him for answers.

  It was Selah who spoke up. “We should find someplace safe until it the sun rises, then see if there are any survivors.”

  “She’s right.” Gabe said, “We can’t do anything right now, it’s too dark and it’s not safe.”

  Dillon looked around at the devastation. “Okay, I just feel like we should be searching right now. What Sid needs us?”

  “Honestly, I don’t think anyone is here. I think they’re all gone.” Selah spoke quietly, knowing that her fears were probably ridiculous. “I think the Voraks took everyone.”

  “Why would they do that? The bodies, too?” Gabe gestured out to the street. “Why would they take the bodies?”

  “I don’t know, but I feel pretty damn sure that Sid isn't going to find Alan or anyone else out there."

  “What about the soldiers? Where’d they go?”

  They stood for a few moments, waiting to hear or see something, some signs of life. When none presented themselves, Dillon shrugged, resigned, and led the way back through the field. Once again, they hopped the chain link fence. They approached a house, but Dillon stopped short of it, and instead moved toward a dilapidated outbuilding, a detached garage. He reached for the cord around his neck that held two keys. He put the smaller key into the lock and led them into the building.

  They stood in the dark, waiting while Dillon fumbled around. Finally, he lit a match and moved to a long workbench. There were candles and a lantern. He lit a candle, then went to work on the lantern.

  Once the room was sufficiently lit, Selah had a look around. Although the building looked dilapidated on the outside, the inside looked beyond safe and secure, with cinder block walls and sliding doors that looked like they could withstand a sizable blast. There were crates full of food, there were tools, weapons, and sealed boxes of who knows what else.

  “Pretty good setup you have here,” Selah observed.

  “Not my setup,” Dillon replied. “My brother’s.”

  “We need to eat and drink right now, even if we don’t feel like it. We will be useless if we don’t.”

  Gabe began poking through one of the crates and produced some canned goods and some beef jerky. They ate in silence. She was in a great deal of pain, now that the immediate danger had passed and her adrenaline had subsided. Her injuries were a noisy din of complaints, each vying for her immediate attention. The pain was secondary to the noise in her brain, though, as she began processing the events of the evening.

  Although Death Strikes happened frequently a few years ago, they had slowed down as the population dwindled. What would have provoked the Voraks into another strike? Why this town?

  She busied herself grabbing some folding cots and blankets while Dillon and Gabe were in the midst of a conversation speculating about the very things Selah had been wondering about. Sid helped Dillon set up the cots and then lay down, pulling his blanket over his face.

  Dillon had all but ignored Selah since their arrival, but as Gabe and Alan made up their beds, he finally looked at her.

  “How are you doing, Selah?” His face was lined with fatigue, grief and anger, but there was concern for her there as well.

  “I’m fine. Are you going to be able to sleep?”

  He shook his head. “I doubt it. I need to think, to figure out what to do next.”

  “Oh.” Now it was Selah’s turn to think. At first light they would comb the town, look for survivors, bodies and any clues as to what had happened. But then what? She had been away from home at least a week. In a world that could change so fast, a week was a long time.

  Is Limbo even still there? Who knows. Is Kent gone to join the resistance, does he believe I turned my back on my people, that I join
ed Nieve? Is Nat okay? She could be sick or dead.

  She sat on her cot, wrapped in a blanket and watched Dillon’s face work, watched him thinking while he cleaned his gun. He didn’t return her gaze; he was absorbed in the task at hand. She thought about the last few days, which seemed like a dream. What she did know was that she had a strong attraction for this man, a deep sense of gratitude for his courage and appreciation for his obvious compassion. But there was no room for these feelings, not really. She needed to go home, and she couldn’t expect him to go with her. She would need to go it alone and hope for the best.

  After a few moments, Dillon looked up at her. His eyes softened a bit, and his lips curled into a slight, sad smile. “You should get some rest, Selah. It’s most likely going to be a long hard day…no matter what happens.”

  She nodded and lay back on the cot. She closed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by pain, fear and an indescribable sense of loss. For a few moments she felt like sleep would be impossible.

  And then, it was morning.

  Sid returned sometime during the night, his search for Alan or any other survivors unsucessful. The three were readying themselves for a more extended daylight search, loading themselves with weapons and other gear. Selah had not seen so many weapons since she was at the camp with her father.

  He had made them leave, her, Nieve and Kent. Said it was getting too dangerous and they were going to have to move locations. They had planned an attack, thought they had found a weak spot in the Voraks' defense. They had planned it for weeks.

  “You guys need to go somewhere safe," he said. "There is no telling how long it will be before the camp gets attacked.”

  Nieve fought him on it; she didn’t want them to separate, but he insisted. They packed a bag each and headed out with two other families.

  After a day’s walk, they came upon a small settlement. It was a rowdy, lawless little burg, far worse than Limbo. They stayed for a week, and then word came back: The attack had failed, most of the men were killed, a few captured.